Many people apply eyeliner or other cosmetics around their own eyes or around the eyes of others. Eyeliner is typically applied in lines that trace the upper and/or lower edges of the eyelid (the “eyelines”). It may generally be desirable to apply eyeliner symmetrically to each eyelid and in smooth lines. Applying eyeliner accurately or in a manner which yields an attractive result is a learned skill that often requires a steady hand and significant practice.
Many people lack this skill. As a consequence, some people avoid wearing eyeliner, or avoid applying it themselves. Some people spend additional time and effort re-applying eyeliner after initial applications result in misshapen or uneven lines. Some people pay professional makeup artists to apply cosmetics for them, particularly for special occasions. Some people save time and effort by accepting undesirable applications as “good enough”.
Several types of eyeliner are known in the art; these include powder-based eyeliner (often applied with a pencil-like applicator), wax-based eyeliner, gel eyeliner, liquid eyeliner, and kohl eyeliner. Liquid and kohl eyeliner are often desirable eyeliners for their striking appearance, but are also particularly difficult to apply accurately, in part due to their propensity for accidental smudges during application.
Eyeliner application aids are sometimes used to help apply eyeliner. Some eyeliner application aids comprise adhesive guide strips to be applied to a part of the eyelid just above the upper eyeline. Stray eyeliner is removed when the adhesive guide is removed. Such an eyeliner application aid can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,251 to Brunet et al.
Another eyeliner application aid comprises an arcuate surface connected to a handle. The handle is held in a vertical position beneath an eye, allowing the user to apply makeup to a person's lower eyelash rims. As such a device requires the user to hold the handle above or below the eye, the user may have to adopt an uncomfortable position while holding the device and/or hold the device in a dominant hand while applying eyeliner to one of the eyes with the non-dominant hand. Since applying eyeliner is a delicate task, it is often desirable to apply eyeliner with a user's dominant hand. Such an eyeliner application aid can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 8,141,564 to Cassese.
There is a general desire for apparatus to assist in the application of eyeliner, and in particular for apparatus that enable users to apply eyeliner accurately with reduced training and effort. There also remains a desire for a device that ameliorates at least some of the deficiencies in the above-described apparatus.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related thereto are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.